Applications of Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy

Applications of atomic absorption spectroscopy There are many applications of atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS) due to its specificity. These can be divided into the broad categories of biological analysis, environmental and marine analysis, and geological analysis. 1. Biological analysis: Biological samples can include both human tissue samples and food samples. In human tissue samples, AAS can be used to determine the amount of various levels of metals and other electrolytes, within tissue samples. These tissue samples can be many things including but not limited to blood, bone marrow, urine, hair, and nails. Sample preparation is dependent upon the sample. This is extremely important in that many elements are toxic in certain concentrations in the body, and AAS can analyze what concentrations they are present in. Some examples of trace elements that samples are analyzed for are arsenic, mercury, and lead. An example of an application of AAS to human tissue is the measurement of the electrolytes sodium and potassium in plasma. This measurement is important because the values can be indicative of various diseases when outside of the normal range. The typical method used for this analysis is atomization of a 1:50 dilution in strontium chloride (SrCl2) using an air-hydrogen flame. The sodium is detected at its secondary line (330.2 nm) because detection at the first line would require further dilution of the sample due to signal intensity. The reason that strontium chloride is used is because it reduces ionization of the potassium and sodium ions, while eliminating phosphate's and calcium's interference. In the food industry, AAS provides analysis of vegetables, animal products, and animal feeds. These kinds of analyses are some of the oldest application of AAS. An important consideration that needs to be taken into account in food analysis is sampling. The sample should be an accurate representation of what is being analyzed. Because of this, it must be homogenous, and many it is often needed that several samples are run. Food samples are most often run in order to determine mineral and trace element amounts so that consumers know if they are consuming an adequate amount. Samples are also analyzed to determine heavy metals which can be detrimental to consumers. 2. Environmental and marine analysis: Environmental and marine analysis typically refers to water analysis of various types. Water analysis includes many things ranging from drinking water to waste water to sea water. Unlike biological samples, the preparation of water samples is governed more by laws than by the sample itself. The analytes that can be measured also vary greatly and can often include lead, copper, nickel, and mercury. An example of water analysis is an analysis of leaching of lead and zinc from tin-lead solder into water. The solder is what binds the joints of copper pipes. In this particular experiment, soft water, acidic water, and chlorinated water were all analyzed. The sample preparation consisted of exposing the various water samples to copper plates with solder for various intervals of time. The samples were then analyzed for copper and zinc with air-acetylene flame AAS. A deuterium lamp was used. For the samples that had copper levels below 100 _g/L, the method was changed to graphite furnace electrothermal AAS due to its higher sensitivity. 3. Geological analysis: Geological analysis encompasses both mineral reserves and environmental research. When prospecting mineral reserves, the method of AAS used needs to be cheap, fast, and versatile because the majority of prospects end up being of no economic use. When studying rocks, preparation can include acid digestions or leaching. If the sample needs to have silicon content analyzed, acid digestion is not a suitable preparation method. An example is the analysis of lake and river sediment for lead and cadmium. Because this experiment involves a solid sample, more preparation is needed than for the other examples. The sediment was first dried, then grounded into a powder, and then was decomposed in a bomb with nitric acid (HNO3) and perchloric acid (HClO4). Standards of lead and cadmium were prepared. Ammonium sulfate ([NH4][SO4]) and ammonium phosphate ([NH4][3PO4]) were added to the samples to correct for the interferences caused by sodium and potassium that are present in the sample. The standards and samples were then analyzed with electrothermal AAS.

Sample preparation: Sample preparation is extremely varied because of the range of samples that can be analyzed. Regardless of the type of sample, certain considerations should be made. These include the laboratory environment, the vessel holding the sample, storage of the sample, and pretreatment of the sample. Sample preparation begins with having a clean environment to work in. AAS is often used to measure trace elements, in which case contamination can lead to severe error. Possible equipment includes laminar flow hoods, clean rooms, and closed, clean vessels for transportation of the sample. Not only must the sample be kept clean, it also needs to be conserved in terms of pH, constituents, and any other properties that could alter the contents. When trace elements are stored, the material of the vessel walls can adsorb some of the analyte leading to poor results. To correct for this, perfluoroalkoxy polymers (PFA), silica, glassy carbon, and other materials with inert surfaces are often used as the storage material. Acidifying the solution with hydrochloric or nitric acid can also help prevent ions from adhering to the walls of the vessel by competing for the space. The vessels should also contain a minimal surface area in order to minimize possible adsorption sites.